Election Day!

Awfully convenient power outages in different parts of the north part of the Kansas City metro.

https://www.kctv5.com/news/northland-polling-places-experience-power-outages/article_9cdb905a-e1e4-11e8-b395-57d392dcf5a1.html?fbclid=IwAR0_DvkuuvmOYp39F4zC33erpTLjIUiDTX6rL2tagi2t5KeEFkh4oE_b7c4

Voted a couple weeks ago (we're a mail-in state), but my gut is still a knot today.

SNL captured the feeling very well (YouTube link, SFW)

I admit to feeling pretty grim about this election. It's partly a hangover from 2016, and partly a realistic look at the numbers and how thoroughly the GOP has rigged the system. Then, when the one way to overcome gerrymandering happens--huge voter turnout--the fix is in on the mechanics of actual voting.

BUT, rather than focus on that, I'd like to see and hear, and share, some of the good things to come out of this State of Emergency election.

So...These kids leaving their high school to go down the street to vote was inspiring as heck. Anyone else?

I voted. Now, I hope.

As we learned from The Count of Monte Cristo:

WaitHope

Voted relatively early. No obvious problems or sabotage that I could spy at my polling place. Now we'll see if my vote actually gets counted.

Voted by mail the other day. If there was a Republican on the ballot, I didn't even notice. Encouraged by the record breaking early voting, but still nervous about this. We have got to make voting easier for everyone. ​

ElaineA said:

So...These kids leaving their high school to go down the street to vote was inspiring as heck. Anyone else?

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On NPR this morning they were talking to some kids whose teacher has taken their class (11-12 year olds) to the local polling place to cheer on the voters and hand out an assortment of "I Voted" badges. The kids were very earnest in their explanations of why voting in midterm elections is so important. I think we're going to have some diligent new voters in a few years.

ETA: As for me, I put my ballot in the mail on Sunday afternoon. Now I just have to wait to find out if Katie Porter can squeak in over the vile Mimi Walters. Polls have had them neck and neck for weeks. Which is rather encouraging, given the redness of CA-45 and the fact that in the last election Walters coasted through with 75% of the vote. I really, really, really hope the last poll I saw, which had Porter in the lead, was accurate.

Good luck you people. Hold on tight!

My polling place is a library and last time I was there elementary school children were handing out handwritten thank-you notes to voters. It was adorable. I have to absentee vote now, as polling places in my state have to be access but they don't have to have accessible bathrooms. I use paratransportation so even if there aren't lines, I'm there for at least a couple of hours. I miss voting there, but I absentee vote in person at City Hall. Less fun, but it gets the job done.

Voted this morning (I'm in New York) and was pleasantly surprised by the large turnout. I'm not expecting any miracles, but I'm hoping for one or two...

For those wanting to follow the many issues (missing cords to power voting machines, wrong ballots distributed, racist invective from poll workers, and so much more), it's all here with updates at Electionland, a twitter feed "Covering access to the vote in real time. Led by @ProPublica with hundreds of newsrooms across the U.S."

If Kemp doesn't get prosecuted for election sabotage it will be a complete miscarriage of justice. The widespread and varied ways he is disenfranchising voters right up to this very minute is an international disgrace.

I voted by mail a couple of weeks ago. Now I'm waiting and hoping. I teach tonight, and my students are taking an exam, so it will be hard not to cheat and check the web to see what's happening before I can go home.

I heard on the radio earlier today that people are reporting a higher number of younger people at the polls than is usual. Hopefully this is a widespread trend and a good sign.

ElaineA said:

If Kemp doesn't get prosecuted for election sabotage it will be a complete miscarriage of justice. The widespread and varied ways he is disenfranchising voters right up to this very minute is an international disgrace.

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What goes around, comes around. News is he had a bit of difficulty voting—his voter card was declared invalid. I haven't heard why, and he finally did get to vote.

Ari Meermans said:

News is he had a bit of difficulty voting—his voter card was declared invalid.

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Tee hee. Karma. Gotta love it. I hope that everyone he tried to disenfranchise was also able to vote.

VBM two weeks ago, internet is out at home so I can't check the results till tomorrow.

Maybe for the best.

There were about 10 to 15 times more people at the polling station than I've encountered before. LOTS of new registrations while I was there, too. Foot traffic was directed smoothly and efficiently, and I probably spent as much time there tonight as when I voted in the primaries back in August and there was nobody in line.

ElaineA said:

If Kemp doesn't get prosecuted for election sabotage it will be a complete miscarriage of justice. The widespread and varied ways he is disenfranchising voters right up to this very minute is an international disgrace.

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Agreed.

Voted earlier today, now the long, nerve-racking wait.

Watching...

I don't think it's looking good.

Hadn't paid much attention to the ballot questions in states other than my own. (FWIW, they appear to be overwhelmingly going the way I wanted them to, which is something of a relief.) Took a look at a live results web site and skimmed some of the things that were up in other states.

It's really hard to shake the idea that we're two drastically different countries at this point.

Alpha Echo said:

Watching...

I don't think it's looking good.

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Agreed.

Unless something drastically changes overnight, I figure we're pretty much toast as a democracy.